Civilian Courts Force Navy Trial Transparency

A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Navy cannot keep criminal trials and records hidden and must provide public access similar to civilian courts. The decision — issued after ProPublica sued over withheld records — is the first time a civilian court applied the First Amendment public‑access right to military courts, creating a legal opening for more press and public scrutiny of military prosecutions. — This changes the default for military‑justice secrecy and strengthens civilian oversight and journalistic access to service‑member prosecutions, with downstream effects on accountability and national‑security tradeoffs.